Lawrence received a temporary 10 percent pay increase, increasing his salary to what would be about $62,000 annually, as part of the deal, Lawrence has said.

The chief has largely performed in a caretaker’s role, handling everyday operations and communication between councilors and town department managers. Lawrence said he informed town department heads of the possible hiring on Thursday and Friday.

The manager’s position drew as many as 28 applications, from which councilors interviewed seven finalists. The candidate selected “has the qualities that each councilors was looking for,” Clay said.

“Everyone was looking for certain things in a town manager, and they all might be different, but he had enough to satisfy all seven of us,” Clay added. “He had enough experience, and the vision he had for the town, it was the same vision for a lot of town councilors, though I am not going to speak for everyone.”